2022: the Indy Cyclist's Summer from Hell

Never mind that the weather so far this year has been abnormally hot (an even dozen 90-plus degree days so far this year, including one of 99°) and, for most cyclists' tastes, a tad windy. No, we who choose two wheels and muscle power are inured to the fickleness of the weather gods. What's getting our goat this year is how much stress DPW and private construction companies are putting on cyclists. 

Take the Monon Rail Trail. Sure, purists and wannabe TdF competitors claim to eschew the trail, but take a look at it on the Strava heat map: it's white-hot! Well, it's a lot less white-hot this year...

More Monon Construction Begins; Fall Creek Trail Blocked

Updated 10 July 2022

The Monon south of Fall Creek is again closed in two sections. The original asphalt between 22nd and 25th Streets and between 29 Street and Sutherland has been scraped off and crews are working throughout the week. This is in addition to closures north of the Fairgrounds. Detours are marked, if somewhat poorly, and there is a nearly useless map posted on the DPW website (it does have a moderately useful timeline chart). You might want to ignore the "official" detour and use the marked bike lanes on Pennsylvania and Illinois/Capitol, although none is in particularly good condition.

Usable version of the DPW's "South Monon Bicycle Detour"

Monon trail closure

After three months of poorly-marked detours on streets that bear a striking resemblance to jeep trails, reconstruction work on the southern three miles of Indy's Monon Rail Trail is essentially complete. Only the detour around North Split construction south of 14th Street remain, a section that will not be completed for many months. Three sections of the trail have been widened and resurfaced: 16th to 23rd, 25th to 28th, and Sutherland to Fall Creek. With the exception of sections temporarily closed for the removal of equipment and tree trimming, the trail is now open between 42nd and 10th Streets.

Now begins the next phase: Fall Creek to 56th Street.

Monon Construction Update - June 27, 2022

June 29th: 

See next newer post...

Updated: 27 June 2022:

Still no activity other than tree trimming between 49th and Fall Creek Greenway. Barrier to southbound traffic removed at Fall Creek bridge, so (logically speaking) the section north of Sutherland is now open. Detour signs still litter the area, however. 

Updated: 23 June 2022: 

Signs are posted at 56th, 52nd, and 49th Streets advising that the trail will be closed "On or after June 20, 2022." Trail is open as of this date. Survey markings, flags, and stakes are abundant plus there is heavy tree and brush trimming on the east side of the trail between 46th and 42nd. No other changes in status.

Work Begins on Indy's Monon Rail Trail

Typical Monon detour

Get ready, Monon users, 'cause here it comes!

If you happened to brave the mid-March weather last week and put in a few miles on the Monon Trail, you might have noticed the signs posted at several locations along the southern portion of the trail. They mentioned that the trail would be closed for construction "on or after March 28th." They aren't kidding...

Carmel to Close Monon 10 Months for Improvements

One of the busiest stretches of multiuse trail anywhere in the Indy Metro area will close for almost a year beginning on January 17, 2022. The Monon rail trail will be blocked off from Monon Green Boulevard (just south of Carter Green, site of Carmel’s Saturday morning farmer’s market and the Christkindlmarkt) to the tunnel that runs beneath City Center Drive. Local authorities say that the project, which will feature improvements including four feet of wider trail (see artist's rendering at right), will close the trail for some ten months.

Monon Closure at SR32 Bridge, October 2021

Last week (Saturday, October 9, to be precise) we noticed that Westfield had placed barriers at the south end of the new State Road 32 bridge on the Monon Trail. The signs warned that "on or after October 11" the trail would be closed. 

"Huh," we said, "Wonder why?"

Westfield Installs Signal at Monon/161st Crossing

HAWK crossing signal for drivers

Although the city of Westfield announced plans some years ago to build a tunnel for the Monon Trail under 161st Street similar to the one under 116th Street, those plans are still in the future. While they await funding for a multi-million dollar tunnel, the city has placed a HAWK pushbutton signal at the crossing; similar to that on the Midland Trace trail at Hazel Dell Road. Trail users now have a large pushbutton mounted on the right-hand side of the trail for both approaches and a pedestrian crossing signal just like a normal street corner.